Gatsby Symbolism Assignment by Logan Phillips

Gatsby's Car

logancph1137 — 2025-09-19 02:06:57 UTC

One of the symbols of The Great Gatsby is Gatsby’s yellow car. The car is mentioned often, especially when Gatsby is driving it to show Daisy, or to show Daisy just how rich he has become. The car symbolizes Gatsby’s money and the means he used to win Daisy back by trying to gain wealth again. The car also symbolizes the carelessness of the rich, as it is the car that accidentally kills Myrtle when Daisy is driving it. The color yellow gives it an appearance similar to gold. It is fake gold, as Gatsby had to use money to spin a dream. The dream might have looked good from the outside, but was always empty on the inside. The car impacted Gatsby, Daisy, and George Wilson as it led to Gatsby's eventual death. This goes with the theme of the American Dream and how money does not equate happiness or fulfillment with success. Ultimately, Gatsby's car can be interpreted as a symbol of false hope, and tragedy, by its false perception of wealth.

Quote #1

logancph1137 — 2025-09-19 02:32:08 UTC

“‘It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes’” (Fitzgerald 64).

This shows Gatsby’s car as a symbol of wealth and extravagance, meant to impress Daisy and others.

Quote #3

logancph1137 — 2025-09-19 02:34:10 UTC

“So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight” (Fitzgerald 143).

The car symbolizes danger and carelessness, foreshadowing Myrtle’s death.

Quote #2

logancph1137 — 2025-09-19 02:34:44 UTC

“His gorgeous car lurched up the rocky drive to my door and gave out a burst of melody from its three-noted horn” (Fitzgerald 68).

The car here shows Gatsby’s flashy lifestyle and his need for attention.

Quote #4

logancph1137 — 2025-09-19 02:36:17 UTC

“The ‘death car,’ as the newspapers called it, didn’t stop” (Fitzgerald 147).

The car becomes a symbol of destruction, connecting wealth to tragedy.